1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to fire and hazardous fume safety equipment. More specifically, the present invention relates to a combination lighted fire safety hood and night light container.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Personal fire protection gear has been in use for as long as there have been organized fire-fighting brigades. Such gear includes the heavy, heat-resistant clothing, helmets, and self-contained breathing apparatus (including compressed air cylinders and regulators) worn by professional fire fighters. This type of fire, heat, and smoke protection, however, is not designed to be easily donned while actually in the midst of a fire situation (i.e., a fire fighter does not don his protective gear after he has already entered the conflagration, but rather in the safety of the fire-house). In fact, professional fire-fighting gear is very cumbersome and difficult to don quickly.
The primary reason for the bulky and cumbersome construction of professional fire-fighting protective clothing is because such gear is designed to withstand prolonged exposure to high heat and flames in order to allow the wearer to battle a blaze. On the other hand, the instant invention is directed primarily to consumer usage, it being further recognized that smoke inhalation is the leading cause of death and injury to fire victims. Further in contrast, the present invention is drawn to a combination night light and escape mask which is designed to be easily and quickly donned in the midst of a fire so as to allow the wearer to exit a burning structure quickly and safely. The night light is visible even through smoke so as to guide the user to the container housing an escape mask, which is equipped with another light to help the user find his or her way out into safety.
The need for such a device is especially acute during the evening hours. Few experiences are more frightening, or more dangerous, than to awaken in the midst of a house fire. With the thought processes still sluggish and groggy from sleep, a person in such a situation has only moments in which to gain safety or risk being overcome by smoke. Conventional fire-protective clothing is simply too cumbersome to be safely donned at such a moment. Of primary importance in such a situation is that the person quickly locate and don the protective gear, and exit the structure. However, the odds of finding one's way to a closet, locating the appropriate fire-protective clothing, putting the clothing on, and safely exiting the burning structure, all the while in the darkness of night and in the midst of choking and impenetrable smoke, are very small. In such a situation, time is absolutely of the essence and it is of great importance that one keep his or her head down as low as possible, where breathable air likely remains. If one simply stands erect to don a jacket under such conditions, he risks being overcome by smoke inhalation.
Several types of personal fire-resistant head protectors and related devices are described in the patent literature. For instance, U.S. Pat. No. 3,895,625, issued Jul. 22, 1975, to R. Delest, describes a head protection enclosure including a transparent housing which can be placed about the head of a wearer. Within the enclosure is an oxygen generation means, and a means to fix carbonic anhydride. In use, the device is folded and sealed such that a vacuum is formed within the enclosure. When the seal is released, incoming air expands the enclosure, and the oxygen generation means is automatically activated. The user then places the enclosure over his head, and a seal is formed about the wearer's neck so as to preclude ambient air from entering the enclosure. Within the enclosure, the oxygen exhaled in the wearer's breath is regenerated by the oxygen generation means, while the carbonic anhydride from the wearer's breath is fixed in a non-gaseous form. The wearer now has a certain period of time in which he is protected from smoke and other noxious fumes.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,231,118, issued Nov. 4, 1980, to Y. Nokagawa, describes a similar fire-protective head enclosure. Rather than regenerating oxygen from wearer's breath, the Nokagawa device includes a poison-fixing, heat-resistive filter which allows passage of ambient air into the head enclosure. The main enclosure is formed from non-flammable polyvinyl chloride (PVC) composite laminate sheets, and includes a transparent PVC view screen.
An emergency fire and smoke safety kit is described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,437,568, issued Mar. 20, 1984, to A. Hamblin. Unlike the references discussed above, which describes fire-resistant head protectors, this reference is drawn to a kit for fighting small fires, and includes first aid items, emergency clothes, and breathing apparatus. All of these items are contained in a roughly rectangular box having a hinged front. A fire extinguisher is mounted to the front of the box for easy access. Unlike the present invention, this device contemplates that the user will remain, at least for a short period, within the fire zone to battle the fire. The present invention, in contrast, functions to protect the wearer for a period of time of sufficient length to exit a burning building.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,309,571, issued May 10, 1994, to M. Huang, describes a fire protection suit which includes a face mask, lamp, air tank or gas filter, and a battery power supply. The device includes a body portion and sleeves. In storage, the device is rolled up inside out. When needed, the head enclosure portion is placed over the wearer's head, and the remainder of the suit allowed to unroll ever the wearer's body. The hands are then inserted into sleeves, and the lighting means and the air tank activated. The suit includes pockets for storing valuables, and is specifically designed to allow the wearer to function as a fire fighter.
A commercial catalog from "The Sharper Image", dated Jul. 1994, offers for sale a fake alarm system which consists solely of a very bright, blinking light-emitting diode (LED). The LED is mounted to a window of a building structure, in plain sight to potential burglar, o discourage the burglar from attempting a forced entry into the structure.
None of the above references, taken alone, or in any combination, is seen as describing the presently claimed beacon light and lighted escape mask.